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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · trunk · bound · bulb · ball · cold · perch · rock

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cold — not warm
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bound — certain
  11. rock — a stone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rock — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com